Former Samford and NFL star defensive lineman Michael Pierce enters his first season on the football coaching staff at Samford.
Pierce returns to Samford after a successful career in the National Football League. Pierce played for the Baltimore Ravens from 2016 to 2020, then played for the Minnesota Vikings from 2020 to 2022 before returning to the Ravens from 2022 to 2025.
During his time in the NFL, Pierce accumulated 238 tackles, including 136 solo stops, 20 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, six fumble recoveries and one interception.
Pierce served many leadership roles in his NFL playing career, including team captain, peer mentor, Pro Bowl alternate, Leadership Council and Social Justice Committee leader. Pierce was the youngest peer-to-peer mentor in Ravens history. He was also the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.
Pierce played at Samford from 2013 to 2015 after transferring in from Tulane, where he played in 2011 and 2012. In his first season at Samford, he helped lead the Bulldogs to a share of the Southern Conference championship and the team earned the program’s first bid to the NCAA Division I-FCS Playoffs in over 20 years.
During his time at Samford, Pierce was named first team All-SoCon in 2015 and second team in 2014. Pierce earned his Bachelors degree in public administration from Samford in 2015.
